


down the line

by itisjosh



Series: living a life of crime isn't always easy [5]
Category: Dreamwastaken
Genre: "hate" each other, Adopted Children, Adopted Sibling Relationship, Adoption, Alternate Universe - Assassins & Hitmen, Best Friends, Businessmen, Complicated Relationships, Crime Family, Families of Choice, Family Fluff, Fluff, Loyalty, M/M, Murder Family, Organized Crime, Other, Protective Older Brothers, Protective Siblings, Protectiveness, Serial Killers, Sibling Bonding, Sleep Deprivation, and a good older brother, best friends who hate each other, honestly this is happier than i expected it to be, i mean techno is a serial killer what do u expect, no actual murder but there is mentions of it, the mob is there for a little bit, wilbur is a big softie, wilbur is definitely the most protective of his family, wilbur would die for his family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-23
Updated: 2020-09-17
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:48:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,340
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26055223
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itisjosh/pseuds/itisjosh
Summary: The most important things to Wilbur are his family, his friends, and his reputation among the Underworld. He won't let anything happen to those three things at all.Admittedly, that does cause problems, but Wilbur is entirely willing to solve them.
Relationships: Clay | Dream & Wilbur Soot, Clay | Dream/GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF)
Series: living a life of crime isn't always easy [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1886707
Comments: 55
Kudos: 557





	1. family is important

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> :DD

Wilbur taps his finger against the table, comfortable in his dad's office. He's always been comfortable here. It's where he first was told that he was going to be staying in a permanent home, one with a stable source of income. And an older brother. Wilbur was definitely happy when his dad, who was just Phil to him then, made his choice. Techno was probably more excited than he was, which made Wilbur feel even better. "Wilbur."

"Dad," he looks up, watching his dad walk into the room, just a loose t-shirt and sweats. Wilbur isn't sure why he decided to even dress business casual, it's never like his dad cares to do the same. It's not like he'd have it any other way, though. "Where's Techno?" His dad shrugs, smiling a little. 

"I wanted to tell you first. Because Techno is going to try to keep them out of here," Wilbur frowns. Them? What? "I'm adopting, Wilbur. You'll have two new little brothers. Their names are Tommy and Tubbo, and they were both left in the mob after their parents were killed by it. I've decided that they're not going to live that specific life, and they've already agreed to it. I'm just waiting for the papers to get back to me." 

Wilbur blinks, feeling his chest constrict, his throat seize. The air's stolen from his lungs, and _holy shit_. "Fuck," he laughs. "Bloody hell. You're sure? You're not backing out of it."

"Of course I'm not," Dad shakes his head. "No, I've already decided. I'm not just going to back out of it, especially not after I told them that they'd be coming to live here soon. They're both sixteen, so they'd almost be out of the system if they were in a shelter or a centre. I'll tell Techno soon, I just.." he sighs. "He's protective, you know that, Wilbur. So are you, but Techno won't let them live the same lives we do. He'll fight it, and neither of them want that. Tubbo is interested in what your friend, Schlatt, is doing, and Tommy," Dad laughs. "He's interested in being a hitman, but he's not quite cut out for it. I think he might follow you into the company. I've already told him about you and Techno and everything else. He's interested in you."

"Oh?" Wilbur laughs. "Are you sure? I'm fairly sure he knows who I am, but.."

"I told him about you," Dad assures him. "About _you_. Not the company owner, but you as a person. He likes you, Wilbur. He's very interested in you and what you do. He likes music, too. Not as much as you do, but he still enjoys it. He's an oddly charming kind of kid," he beams. "Tommy is _very_ loud. I'll introduce you to him when I tell my other son," Dad sighs. "And Tubbo is a lot more quiet, but he's still loud. He comes out of his shell more when he's with Tommy. They've been with each other ever since their parents were killed," he pauses. "A few years back. If I had known about them earlier, they would've already been here, but.."

"I understand," Wilbur smiles, because he does. His dad has the biggest heart in the world to him. The fact that he's planning on doing it is just..amazing to him. Wilbur has never quite understood how his dad managed to get into crime, but he's not going to ask. It's not that important. "Techno is going to freak out when you tell him," he grins. "I'll try my best to make sure he doesn't go full on protective brother mode, but no promises. He doesn't always listen to me."

"He doesn't always listen to me, either," Dad grins. "But thank you, Wilbur. How have you been?"

"I've been fine," he smiles. "A little tired, but that's not really new. The company has been going good. Schlatt and I have been working on targeting specific sections of the mob. The more dangerous parts that I'm not interested in anymore," he grins. "Techno plans on hitting them sometime later this month, if everything goes to plan. What about you? Has your company been running well?"

Dad smiles. "It has been, yeah. It's a little bit tiring, but otherwise it's alright. I've just had to decide to remove a couple of people from my office, which your brother helped me out with. If you don't mind," he breathes out. "Would you be willing to, when Tommy comes, show him around our buildings? I want to, but I think it'd be important for him to bond with his brother." Wilbur warms a little at the word, shifting on his feet. 

"Of course. How's Techno been? I know he was here earlier."

"He's alright," Dad frowns. "You guys haven't been talking?"

"No, no, we have," Wilbur assures him. "But I haven't talked to him today." His dad nods, his frown turning into a smile. 

"He's good. Just practicing his aim." Wilbur snorts, ducking his head.

"Of course he has been," he glances down at his watch, cursing when he sees the time. "Fuck. Sorry, I have to..I need to go. It's important."

"Go on, then," Dad laughs. "I love you."

"Love you too, Dad. I'll talk to you later!" He waves, sprinting down the stairs, slamming open the door to the outside world, stumbling as he slides to the curb. He grabs his phone, dialing the one person he's told about this. "Bad, I'm ready to go."

* * *

Wilbur stares at the door in front of him, sighing. He raises a hand, knocking twice. A man with a mask opens it, and Wilbur smiles. That's who he wanted. "Dream."

"Who the fuck-"

"My name is Wilbur Soot," he introduces himself. "And I have a proposition for you."

Dream's mask stares at him. He watches as Dream crosses his arms, body language telling Wilbur that he's not very impressed. "I don't care."

"Okay," Wilbur sighs. "Listen. I bought you a house, come with me to see it. It's just a couple blocks away. I'm interested," he beams. "You're getting popular, and I figured I'd offer you a place on my team. Soot Inc. is always looking, Dream."

"Oh, fuck off," he laughs. "No. I'm not doing that. I work solo, and solo only. But I'll take the house."

Wilbur closes his eyes. Lovely. "Alright. Friendly terms?" He sticks out his hand. After a second, Dream shakes it, the mask burning a hole into his skull.

"Friendly terms," he agrees. "I wanna see the house, now. Thanks." Wilbur sighs, already regretting this choice. 

"Of course," he mutters, stalking off, figuring that Dream's smart enough to follow him. If he isn't, then it's his own fucking fault. "You've been making a really big name for yourself, you know that?"

Dream wheezes. "I do. Thanks for noticing. I'm good at what I do. What do you even do?" He asks, not sounding very curious. "Run a big company and sit in the shadows? Do you even work?"

"I'm the head of Soot Inc. for a _reason_ , Dream," he sighs. "I deal with people who want to hurt me and my family, as well as people I'd consider close friends. I deal with the mob, the local gangs, and I have my hands in a lot of outsider gangs, making sure no one acts up," he pauses. "I make sure that my family is safe, and I don't care about much else. I make deals and bribe political parties into doing what I want and assuring that I'll be offered a place in whatever political standing that I want. Luckily for them, I don't quite care about politics that much. Oh," Wilbur pauses. "I also steal things and go on big heists. And occasionally take care of the people that have hurt my family or friends." Dream is quiet for a bit, but Wilbur hears him clear his throat, coughing right after.

"Alright. You don't strike me as the murderous type. I don't think you're all that murderous. You haven't killed anyone in your life, have you?" He pauses for a few seconds. "I don't murder people, either. I just steal shit. I'm a heist speedrunner, in case you didn't hear the news. Since we're on friendly terms, does that mean I'm not allowed to break into Soot Inc. anymore? I was really looking forwards to doing that."

"If you do," Wilbur sighs, "I'll beat you to death with my bare hands. I might have never killed someone before, but that doesn't mean I won't kill _you_."

"Okay, big guy."

"Listen," Wilbur jabs a finger at him, eyes narrowed. "I made an offer of peace, and you're acting like we're long term rivals. What's wrong with you?" Dream crosses his arms, his mask somehow managing to look annoyed. 

"Listen, Scoot," Wilbur sneers at him when he says that. "I'm not going to pretend that I love you," Dream laughs. "Or that I even like you. I just met you. Formally. And I don't like you. Yet. So calm down, dude. I'm not your rival. Is this it?" Dream stops walking, almost hitting Wilbur when he does. "It has a for sale sign right in the front."

"Yeah," Wilbur confirms. "That's it."

Dream looks like he's staring at it, which Wilbur assumes that he is. "Cool. This is..big."

"It's all paid for," Wilbur waves a hand. "You don't have to pay bills, or whatever. I pulled a few strings for you." Dream turns to face him, pulling down his hood.

"Thanks. You know," Dream sounds like he's smiling. "I think we're going to be great friends, Wilbur."

* * *

Wilbur shifts nervously, his heart straining in his chest. He doesn't know why he's so scared, he's just..

He's nervous, that's all. Who wouldn't be? He's meeting his younger brothers, well, just Tommy today, and he wants to make a good impression. God, he feels like he's on fire, his entire body tingling, anxiety prodding at his skull. "Wilbur!" Dad calls out, beaming at him. Wilbur smiles back, trying his best to not let it fade when he spots a boy. He's not a man, he's a boy, and he looks..small. He looks so small compared to his dad. "Wilbur, meet Tommy. Tommy, this is my other son, Wilbur. Your older brother."

Tommy grins at him like they've been best friends for years, his eyes sparkling. He has braces, Wilbur notes. "It's sick to finally meet you," Tommy beams, looking so much happier than Wilbur thought he'd be. "I didn't think I'd be gettin' adopted, but here we are," he jokes, shifting a bit closer to Dad. "Um, Phil told me a lot about you. You're a musician? God, you're tall," Tommy wheezes, running a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry, I'm not normally like this. I'm just..nervous. Phil told me that you've.. _we've_ got an older brother?"

"Yeah," Wilbur grins, his heart warming. "His name is Techno. I think you'll like him. He's nice," Wilbur doesn't mention the serial killing, because he's sure his dad already did that. He wouldn't keep it away from Tommy. "We should go out for lunch," he offers. "Where's Tubbo?"

"He's off with one of his friends," Tommy shrugs, waves a hand. "And that'd..I'd like that. Phil, could I..?"

"Of course you can," Dad laughs, a warm sound that puts Wilbur at ease. "Go on, Tommy. I'll meet you back here in an hour or two," he smiles at Wilbur. "Have fun, sons."

"We will," Wilbur promises, looping an arm around Tommy's shoulders. "Come on, Tommy. Where do you like to eat?"

Tommy shrugs, looking back at their dad. "Um..I don't really mind. Anywhere's fine with me, really. He..he already called me his son? I'm not even adopted yet."

"He did that with both of us," Wilbur assures him. "I..I'm sorry, I'm trying my best not to be nervous or anything, but it's..I've got a little brother," Wilbur grins, the words filling him with happiness. "I've got _two_ little brothers!" Tommy laughs, nudging Wilbur with his foot, bumping him with his shoulder.

"Shut up," he grins. "You're not gonna boss me around or anything. I'm not gonna let that happen, _Scoot_."

"Do _not_ , Tommy," Wilbur threatens, but he can't help but grin, a fond look passing over his face. "You know, Tommy," he smiles. "I think you're going to fit right in with the rest of us. I hear that you're trying to be a hitman?"

Tommy puffs out his chest, beaming like the sun. "I _am_ a hitman."

"You've killed people?"

"Well," he doesn't look nearly as proud as he was a moment ago. "No, but-"

"That's not a hitman, Tommy."

"Listen, okay. Just 'cause I've got no opportunities yet doesn't mean I won't," he scowls. "And I'll be good at it. Just needs a little practice, right? Phil said that Techno's a, um, a serial killer. My future brother is a serial killer?" Wilbur laughs, swatting him over the head.

"Yeah, he is. Don't worry, he's a big softie. Promise. He doesn't kill people for fun, not really," he smiles. "He's a good guy. He's a hitman, hired help, whatever you want to call it. The only reason you haven't met him yet is because he.." Wilbur shakes his head. "He's very protective. He didn't even want me going into this life, and I play it relatively safe, only doing risky shit when I know I can get away with it. But you're young, and even if you're accustomed to this life already, he's not going to like it. Techno's protective of his little brothers, and he's going to absolutely fucking lose it when he realises that two kids are part of our crime family." 

"I'm not a kid," Tommy scoffs. "I'm a _man_."

"You're sixteen," Wilbur reminds him. "You're a kid."

"Oh, fuck off," he sneers. "I'm a man, I'm legally old enough to be considered a man."

"You are _sixteen,_ " Wilbur laughs, rolling his eyes. "You're barely even past fifteen. You're only three years older than thirteen. You are a child, Tommy." 

Tommy crosses his arms, silently fuming. Wilbur can't help but laugh enough more, watching his younger brother swear at him relentlessly, calling him names Wilbur hadn't even though existed. 

_"This,"_ Wilbur decides, _"this is my family. He's my little brother, and I'm not going to let anything happen to him."_


	2. friends are important

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> softie!wilbur

"Wilbur! Oh my god, Wilbur." 

"What happened? Is he alright? Did your plan go alright?" Wilbur grips the phone tighter, his chest hurting. Fuck. He doesn't even really know George, but if something happened..he knows that Dream likes him. The dumb bastard is in love with him, it's obvious to everyone but those two. The silence is deafening and seems to stretch on for forever, echoing in his head, and-

"He's hurt," Dream's voice breaks, and it hurts Wilbur's heart. "He's really, really badly hurt. He needs medical attention, Wilbur."

"Fuck," he breathes out, starting to pace. "Okay, Techno and Bad can't be seen in public. Neither can you. And I can't vouch for him," Wilbur closes his eyes. _Shit_. "I don't even know his last name. I'm important, but hospitals don't fuck around. Just..take him back to your place. I know enough medicine to help him, alright? I'll be there in less than three minutes. Hurry." He hangs up, immediately calling an Uber as soon as he does. He's at Dream's in two minutes, quietly picking the lock when he gets there. He hears a very familiar limo, and starts to unpack his kit. There's a bunch of gauze and enough aspirin to put down a small elephant. He watches his brother drag in George, setting him on the couch.

"He's not lookin' too good, Wilbur."

"I can fix him," Wilbur promises. "Where's Dream?" A second later Bad appears in the doorway, looking like he's about to die. Wilbur notices _why_ when he spots his best friend being cradled like a three year old. "Bad!" He rushes forwards, taking Dream from him, setting him on the other side of the couch. "Jesus. You're covered in blood, both of you. The fuck happened?"

"Language," he sighs. "And George got hurt. I killed the guy who hurt him."

"I helped," Techno adds. "Here. I think he's got a couple broken ribs, but I didn't know what else to check for," he looks panicked. "I'm not good with helpin' people, I'm better at stabbin'."

"I know," Wilbur smiles. "Just..take off his clothes," Techno nods, doing what he asked. Wilbur frowns at the sight in front of him. _Fuck_. George has _way_ too many stab wounds. A deep cut by his collarbone, his arms are bleeding very badly, and there's a particularly deep stab wound in his thigh. "I..I'll just have to gauze this up for now. Wrap what I can. He hasn't lost that much blood," Wilbur breathes out, reaching for the gauze. "He's okay. He'll be fine," he shakes his head, reaching for George's arms. "Dream has a cabinet somewhere around here with drugs. Ibuprofen and tylenol, shit like that. Bad, can you find that for me?" Bad nods, disappearing after a second of looking at George. "Techno, if he wakes up, hold him still. He's going to be in a _lot_ of pain, and he'll start to thrash. I think he's passed out for now, but I'm not sure how long that'll last," his brother nods, positioning himself right next to George. "Alright." _Fuck_. He hasn't done this before. He hasn't done anything like this before.

But it's for his best friend. It's for Dream and George. "I found it!" Bad calls out, jogging back into Wilbur's line of sight. "I got it. Here, they're just right on the table," he watches as Bad sets them down, standing a fair bit away from everyone else. "Is he gonna be okay, Will?"

"He'll be fine," Wilbur smiles, assuring his friend as best as he can. "Don't worry. I've got this," he wishes he was as confident as he sounded. He's always wished that he was more confident. Sure, he's confident _enough_ , but not enough to his standards. "Techno, can you..can you call dad? He taught me how to do this."

"Of course," Techno grabs Wilbur's phone from his pocket, which Wilbur smacks him for, dialing their dad. "Dad! Dad, hey, yeah. Uh, I'm sorry, didn't mean to wake you up. Yeah, yeah, it's important. Wilbur's doin' mock surgery on one of his friends, and you taught him how to do that, right? Yeah. Okay, you're on speaker now. Thank you."

"No problem," Wilbur feels ten times lighter when he hears his dad's voice. "Wilbur, send me a picture."

"I've got it!" Bad calls out before Wilbur can even think of saying anything back. "There, I sent you one, Phil."

There's a pause, and then a sigh. "Okay. He'll be fine, don't worry. Just wrap his arms, disinfect them first. There should be wipes and alcohol in that medkit, Wilbur. I remember putting swabs and wipes in there," Wilbur shifts, pulling out a bottle of peroxide. "Wilbur?"

"I got it," he clears his throat. "I got it."

"Good," his dad's voice is warm, and it helps him focus. It's fine, he can do this. He's done this before. "He'll be fine. Clean out those cuts, wrap 'em, and you'll be done. You'll just have to change them every couple of hours and re-clean them, to make sure nothing ends up getting infected. You've got it, Wilbur."

"Thanks," he beams, ducking his head down. "What happens if he wakes up?"

"Just have your brother punch him." Techno laughs first, and Wilbur can't help but follow, grinning like a dumbass. 

"Thanks for the advice, Dad."

"No problem, son. But if he really does..he'll probably just pass out from the pain. It's going to hurt him. I actually haven't met this friend before, what's his name?"

"George," Wilbur smiles. "His name is George. He's in love with Dream."

Techno snorts, and Bad gasps from his spot. "He is?" Bad asks, his eyes widening.

"Yeah," Techno laughs. "Probably. Wilbur knows him better than I do, so I'm takin' his word on this one. Dream seemed pretty smitten for him, too. I mean, I wouldn't go and reverse kidnap someone who I'd just met unless I loved 'em. But that's just me."

"And you're weird." Wilbur teases, wiping down George's arms, frowning at all the blood. There's not a _lot_ , but it's still enough to make him squeamish. He's never like blood, and he's never been afraid to admit it. 

" _Dad,_ " Techno complains. "Your son is bullyin' your better son. I'm gonna beat him up after this, just so you know. He deserves it."

Dad laughs, and Wilbur grins a little, starting to wrap George's first arm. "Be nice. You're supposed to be siblings, don't make me ground both of you."

"Oh no, what ever would I do?" Techno grins. "Alright. I think Wilbur's got it from here. I'll let you go back to sleep. Love you."

"Love you too!" Wilbur calls over his shoulder.

"And me!" Bad beams. "I love you, Phil!" His dad laughs again.

"I love you all, too," he chuckles. "I'll check in with you all in the morning." And then he's gone, hanging up without another word. Wilbur sighs, feeling a lot better than he had a few minutes ago. He starts to wrap George's other arm, wiping up all the blood from that side, too. 

"How do you even deal with all the blood?" Wilbur asks, gagging at the smell. "It's disgusting. You both have it all over you. Change your clothes, now."

Techno snorts, giving him a shove. "Change my clothes? I don't have anythin' here for me to change into, Wilbur. I'm not breakin' into Dream's closet and scroungin' up whatever I can find."

"I _meant_ ," Wilbur turns to punch him. "Take off the trench coat. You always wear a button up under it, I know this, Techno. I've known you for years. And _you_ ," he points at Bad without looking at him. "You wear a tank top under that. Take off the jacket. You reek of blood. Did you..what did you _do_ to that man? It's all over you!" Bad giggles, ducking his head. But they both do as they're told, throwing off their overcoats and finally looking like normal people. "Seriously, Bad. What'd you do to that man?"

"Um," he blinks, giggling a little more. "Um, I kind of bashed his head in a lot. And Techno also hit him!" He grins. "He slammed him into the wall! And I saw that George got hurt, and I got a little upset, 'cause, you know, he's my friend, and I reacted. A little..a little strongly. And there was also another guy who tried to stop me from breaking into the vents, so I slashed his throat. Kind of. Not like, really badly. But just a little." Wilbur sighs.

"How do you "barely" slash someone's throat? You either do it or you don't."

"Nah, I agree with Bad," his brother tells him, and Wilbur punches him again. "Violence, really, Wilbur? Anyways. Slashin' someone's throat is definitely an art one has to master, and it's not always easy. Let me tell you about the first time I slashed a man's throat. It was the summer of nineteen ninety-nine, and.."

Wilbur sighs as he moves down to George's leg, disinfecting it and wrapping it. Even as his brother rambles on about some made up story, Wilbur can't help but feel at home, surrounded by his friends. His family. Even if he's not even related to any of them, it doesn't matter. His family..it includes George now, too.

* * *

Wilbur blinks open his eyes, the buzzing sound of his phone burning his ears. He turns over, glaring at the bright screen, not bothering to look at the name. "Hello?" He mumbles, sleep coating his voice. 

"Oh, fuck, thank god you picked up," _Tommy_. "Um, listen, Will, I need some help."

"What?" He kicks off his blankets, rolling up and off of his bed, grabbing his knife from under his pillow. "Tommy, what happened? What's wrong?"

"Nothing too bad!" Tommy assures him. "I swear, I'm not that fucked up right now, Wilbur. It's just that, well, I, um.." he breathes out. "I got kind of caught up with myself, right? And I was like, tryna prove something to Tubbo, like you do, and well," Tommy coughs. "I didn't manage to kill the guy I was trying to, and now your older brother, who has no idea who I am apparently, is hunting me." 

"Oh for.." Wilbur kicks on his shoes, pulls over his jumper, grabs his beanie, and runs out his apartment door. "You are an absolute fucking gremlin. Stop trying to kill people. You know what, I'm introducing you to my good friend Schlatt. You'll like him. And it doesn't involve murder, which you are _very_ bad at."

"Hey!"

"I'm not wrong," he waves down a taxi, sliding into it. "Where are you?"

"Abandoned corn field."

" _Tommy._ "

"Okay, okay," his little brother sighs. "Um, the place we went out to eat. I'm around there." Wilbur nods, relaying that information to his taxi driver.

"Tommy, I'm going to beat you to death with my bare hands. It's.." he pauses, staring at his phone. "Two in the _morning_ , Tommy. It is two in the morning. How did he even find you? Is he still chasing you down?"

Tommy sighs. "Well, he's..I don't know, Will! He's like a fucking bloodhound! I don't even know where he is, he's just.. _gone_! I've lost him, Wilbur. I've got no clue where the hell he is."

"Of course. Dad probably showed you pictures. He's got pink hair, a little bit of an underbite that he stylized a few years back, and he wears a trench coat. Stop!" Wilbur shouts, his taxi screeching. "Sorry," he digs out his wallet, throwing a few hundred dollars at the driver. "Familial issues. Thanks," he hops out of the car, scanning the area for his stupid little brother. "Where are you? I'm here."

"Wilbur!" Tommy shouts. Wilbur hangs up, shoving his phone in his pocket, watching his little brother sprint towards him. "You got here fast." Wilbur scoffs. 

"Of course I did, I'm used to this sort of thing. You're lucky I woke up," he sighs. "He's still hunting you, he's.." he closes his eyes. "Techno, I know you're stalking him. He's sixteen and a friend of mine, come out, now." There's a bit of a silence, but he hears his brother's footsteps, watching him appear out of the corner of his eye. 

"A friend of yours?" Techno snorts. "He stole one of my kills, Wilbur. Didn't even bother to try and kill the guy, he just didn't let _me_ do it. How'd you even..did he _call_ you? How did you two even meet? What the hell, Wilbur? You've never told me about him? Does Dad know?" 

Wilbur blinks. Fuck, he hasn't..Dad hasn't told him. "Techno, this is.." he sighs, closing his eyes. "Listen. Um, I don't quite know how to say this."

"Just say it," Techno stares at him. "What're you keepin' from me, Wilbur?"

"Dad adopted!" He blurts out. "Meet Tommy. He's our little brother. And um, another boy, his name is Tubbo. He's also our little brother. Dad didn't say anything because he knew you'd go full on protective mode and keep them out of this life, but neither of them want to be _out_ of it, Techno, they _like_ it. They're both going into business, both under Schlatt and I. They know what they're doing, Techno, I-"

Techno holds up a hand, eyes narrowing. _Fuck_. Wilbur's never been scared of his older brother, but when Techno gets angry, no one likes to see it or be around it. Including him. "Dad didn't tell me?" He looks sadder than Wilbur's seen him ever.

"He didn't want you to try to stop him."

"That.." he shakes his head. "That's bullshit. I'm gonna have a talk with him as soon as I get over there tomorrow," he snarls, tugging on his hair. "But.." Techno's rage is replaced with a huge grin as he turns to face Tommy. "You're my new little brother. Finally got rid of the old one."

"Oh, you bastard-"

"Yeah!" Tommy laughs, punching Wilbur in the shoulder. "I'm Tommy," he puffs out his chest. "Tubbo's off sleeping where we've been staying right now, but I can totally wake him up."

"No," Techno laughs. "It's fine. Dad'll introduce me formally to both of you. My name's Techno. I kill people for a livin'. I mostly help out with the family drama, keep nerds off our backs, make sure nothin' goes wrong. And I steal shit with Wilbur. How..how old are you, Tommy?"

"Uh," he shrugs. "Sixteen."

"Fuck," he breathes out. "When did.."

"The mob killed my parents when I was fourteen," Tommy tells him. "It's okay. I'm not all that beaten up over it. It's been a while, I got over it. Plus, Phil's my dad now, right?"

"Yeah," Techno smiles. Wilbur knows what he's thinking. Techno killed his first person when he was nine. There was a _reason_ Dad never told him, even if Wilbur didn't entirely agree with it. Techno knows this life better than any of them, and he was pissed when Wilbur told him that he wanted to go into more..criminal careers. At first he hadn't understood, but after a couple years, he started to learn more about his brother's past. He doesn't know everything about him or what happened, but he isn't going to ask. He knows better than that. If Techno wanted to tell him, he would. Wilbur isn't going to press. "Well," Techno cracks his knuckles. "It's nice to meet you," he beams. "Little brother. You surprisingly did well hidin' from me. I actually didn't know where you ran off to until Wilbur started to shout for me. So, you're interested in business?"

"Yeah, I guess so. Actually, I'm interested in being a hitman, but you kind of fucked me there."

"You'd be a shit hitmen."

"Okay, listen here, you little-"

Wilbur sighs as he walks alongside his siblings, quietly smiling to himself. This is home, isn't it? Even if Techno smells like blood and tried to kill their little brother, it's still home. Home is wherever his family goes, and right now, he's home. Wilbur beams at the ground as he realises that technically, he'll always be home so long as he's with his family. And luckily, his family is very hard to avoid.


	3. introductions are also important, but they're terrifying at the same time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> guess who meets tommy and tubbo!

"Are you really, really sure you wanna do this, Will?"

"Yeah," Wilbur sighs. He's nervous. He's really nervous, but that's okay. He's always nervous when it comes to his family. "Um..where is he?"

"On his way," Bad assures him, smiling a little. "Where're _they_ , Will? Please tell me you didn't forget your own siblings." 

Wilbur laughs, giving his friend a shove. "Shut up, no. I didn't forget them. The little gremlin and the good one are in my office," he gestures vaguely over there, sighing. "Techno's in there with them so they don't ruin my office," Wilbur narrows his eyes. "Last time I took Tommy somewhere, he stole my wallet and ran off somewhere. He's lucky I love him, or else I'd beat him to death with my bare hands." Bad nudges him, rolling his eyes.

"Be nice. Hey, Tommy, Tubbo!" Bad calls, beaming. "You're about to meet Will's best friend!"

"He is _not_ my friend," Wilbur corrects, narrowing his eyes. "He's a bastard and a scoundrel. You won't like him."

"Language, Will," Bad sighs, flicking his arm. "You're ridiculous. Be nice to Dream, even when he isn't here. When's George gonna meet them?" He asks with a tilt of his head, eyes sparkling. Wilbur smiles. Bad took an interest in George as soon as they met, which is nice. It's not like Wilbur doesn't like him or anything, but it's nice to have a serial killer in your corner. 

"Soon," he waves a hand. "Probably after he gets used to being around us. Wouldn't want to overload him or whatever," he shrugs. Wilbur hears his front door creak open, sighing. "God. He's here already? Christ."

"You literally told him to meet you at this time."

"I didn't expect him to not be late!" Wilbur glares at his friend. "Shut up. Dream," Wilbur stands, watching as the man stalks into the room. "Hi."

"Hey," Dream waves, leaning against the doorframe. "You said that you wanted me to meet someone? George's in the car, can we hurry up? I cracked the window open a little so he wouldn't die, but I don't-"

"Tommy! Tubbo!" Wilbur interrupts, trying his best not to laugh at that stupid joke. "Come on," he hears shuffling, spotting Tommy first, Tubbo tumbling out after him. "Meet Dream. He's my.."

Dream grins. Wilbur can barely see it behind the mask, but he still can. Fucking hell. "Best friend. Absolute best friend. We're best friends." Wilbur reaches over, punches him in the arm. Dream punches him back. He reaches out to kick him, but Dream's already lifting him up by the arms, wheezing like a dumbass.

"Put me _down,_ you fucking-"

"Language," Bad chides. "Hi, Tommy, Tubbo! Meet Dream! He's Will's best friend, they're really close. They act like they aren't, but they are." 

Wilbur elbows Dream in the stomach until he puts him back down, smiling at the two. "Hm," Tommy stalks forwards, arms crossed, eyes narrowed. "Dream, huh?"

"Yeah," Dream tilts his head to the side, smile obvious in his voice. "I'm kind of famous. I do a lot of things around here. Since you're in Wilbur's _house_ , which is also his _dad's_ house, I'm assuming you two are his new little brothers. Phil really adopted two more kids?" Wilbur scowls, rolling his eyes. Of course Dream's observant, but he didn't expect him to be _that_ observant.

"He did," Wilbur confirms. "They're both sixteen. Tommy came from the mob, and Tubbo.."

"Came from the mafia," Tubbo beams. "A different one, one out of town." Tommy snorts.

"Yeah," Tommy agrees. "So. Why're you important?"

"I work with Wilbur," Dream shrugs. "We've worked together for a couple of months now. Maybe a year at this point?" He shrugs again. "I'm not sure. We're business partners, so I'm guessing he got all sappy and all that," Dream wheezes, nudging Wilbur with his shoulder. "They've met Bad before?"

Wilbur nods, tapping his foot against the ground. "They have. Alright, that's all I needed from you, Dream. Go back to your boyfriend."

"Gladly," Dream turns, but he pauses. "It was good to meet you two. If you ever need something, call me. Wilbur's gonna give you my number. Got it. Bye." And then he's gone, the sound of an engine starting a few seconds later. Wilbur breathes out, the anxiety in his stomach disappearing. He's not sure why he was so worried - it's not like Dream would've done anything. But Tommy and Tubbo..they're his brothers. And if anything happened to them, he'd be so fucking furious. He'd burn the world down before he let anything happen to those two. 

"You look like you just fuckin' died, Will," Tommy snorts. "You good?"

"Language."

"What the hell?" Tommy whirls around, jabbing a finger at Bad. "Alright, _BadBoyHalo_. Let's make a _deal_."

Bad raises an eyebrow at him, a smile tugging at his lips. "What, Tommy?"

"If you say language to me one more time, I'm gonna start swearing," Tommy grins. "Like this. Fuck! Shit! Bitch! Cunt! Penis! Fuck!" Bad gapes at him, mouth opening and closing like a fucking fish, but he doesn't say language. Tommy grins even more, clearly having won his victory. "That's what I thought."

"Come on," Tubbo laughs. "Leave him alone, Tommy."

"Nah," Tommy beams. "I don't think I will."

* * *

Wilbur really didn't think this would be his life. But it is, and there's not much he can do about it. He crouches behind a tree, furiously reloading his stupid nerf gun. He hears a click, feels a gust of wind, curses beneath his breath. "Hi, Techno."

"Hey, Wilbur," Techno grins, staring down at him. "This is war, you know."

"Yeah," he agrees, voice strained. If he can just reload a little faster, he can shoot him. Techno always monologues, it's a huge character flaw. "You shouldn't, though."

"Oh, but I love winnin', Wilbur. You should know this by now. I thirst for blood, Wilbur. Specifically yours," Wilbur breathes out, quickly shooting up, hitting Techno right in the chest. Techno gasps, looking down at his chest, hand clutching at his stomach. "Wilbur, you..I'm.." 

Wilbur grins, standing up, brushing off the mud on his knees. "Get wrecked, nerd," he imitates his brother as best as he can, shooting him again, just for good measure. "This is what happens when you monolo-" He feels a dart stick to his back. Wilbur takes a breath, furiously throwing his gun down, whirling around on..Tommy. "You _fucking little child_ -"

"I've got you, Wilbur!" His dad laughs. There's the sound of a nerf gun being shot, and then Tommy tumbles to the ground, screaming in mock agony. "Revenge! Blood for the-"

"Blood god," Tubbo finishes, shooting their dad right in the leg. "Blood for the blood god."

Wilbur bursts out laughing, hearing Techno wheeze beside him, their dad following soon after, Tommy already having broken into fits of giggles. Wilbur grins, feeling his heart warm, even if he was the first to lose the stupid battle. He's so happy, he can't fucking believe it, it's..this is perfect. He's right where he belongs, right with his stupid brothers and dad, right at home.

He never plans on letting anything happen to them. 


End file.
